


Unloved

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25252537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Zack feels jealous when he is the only one in the band without a date.
Kudos: 5





	Unloved

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request!

“Hey Jack, do you want to hit up a couple bars in the strip together? I don’t know what Rian and Alex are doing, but I thought I’d ask you first, since the two of us haven’t gone out together after a show in a while,” Zack explained to Jack, walking into the green room that he was in.  
They’d just played a show in Nashville, and Zack was hop8ing to find something fun to do with his bandmates.  
“Shit, I’d really like to do that, man, but I kind of have plans already,” Jack awkwardly replied, fixing his hair in the mirror of the vanity he was sitting in front of.  
“Oh cool, what’re you doing?” Zack asked back.  
“I met a girl here the last time we played this city, and we made plans o get drinks tonight. I probably won’t get back to the bus until bus call, I’m sorry, dude,” Jack said, sounding a bit guilty.  
“No problem, that sounds really fun, I hope you guys have a great time. Hey, do you know where Rian is? I might ask him to do something since you’re busy,” Zack stated.  
“I think he’s in the other green room at the end of the hallway. I saw him talking on the phone, but that was right after we got offstage, so I’d imagine he’s done with that call by now. I hope you two can go do something fun!” Jack exclaimed, offering a sympathetic smile.  
“I think I’m going to go try to find him, thanks for the help. Have a good time tonight!” Zack said, as he walked out of the room, and down the hallway of the venue.  
Their crew members were packing up their gear and getting it ready to be loaded onto the bus, and Zack made sure to greet them all as he made his way over to the other green room. He knocked on the door opening it up, to see Rian sitting on the couch, looking at something on his phone.  
“What’s up Zack?” Rian asked, putting his phone down as Zack took a seat on a chair across from the couch.  
“So, apparently, Jack is busy tonight, so I was thinking that the two of us could go out to some of the bars in the strip. It’s been a while since we’ve done something like that, so I thought it’d be fun,” Zack explained, as an awkward expression appeared on Rian’s face.  
“Oh man, I’d love to do that, but I have some plans already, too. I have a lot of friends here, since I live here, and I made plans with them for tonight. You could join us, if you wanted to, but I’m kind of going to be with a girl, since we set up pairs for tonight,” Rian replied.  
“Oh okay, I don’t want to crash your date, so I think I’ll just do something else. Thanks for the invite, though,” Zack said, feeling a bit hurt that he’d gotten rejected by his friends twice now.  
“No problem. Why don’t you go see what Alex is up to? I think I saw him walk over to the bus, and he seemed fairly energized, so maybe he’ll go somewhere with you. The two of us will go out soon, it really has been a long time,” Rian said back.  
“I’m going to find him, have fun with your friends,” Zack said, before walking out of the room, and to the back door of the venue.  
As he walked over to the bus, Zack couldn’t help but feel a weird discomfort within himself. He wasn’t the jealous type, but just knowing that two of his friends had plans with girls and he didn’t made him feel a bit insecure about himself. As he walked up the stairs of the bus, he tried to shake away these feelings so he could focus on finding Alex.  
Zack could faintly hear Alex’s voice, and it sounded like it was coming from the back lounge, so Zack made his way there. When he opened the door, he saw Alex talking on the phone with a goofy grin on his face, so he decided to take a seat on the couch and wait for Alex to be done with his conversation.  
“Hey, I’ve got to go, but I love you so much babe, I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks when tour ends. Maybe we can have a virtual date night again soon, that was really fun when we did that last time!” Alex excitedly said into the phone.  
Zack rolled his eyes some, still unsure of why he was so bothered about not having any plans or a date for that night.  
“Okay, I’ll text you before I go to sleep, I love you so much, baby,” Alex said, before hanging up the phone and looking over at Zack.  
“Hey man, what’s up?” Alex asked his friend.  
“Hey dude, are you doing anything tonight? I asked Jack and Rian to go out to some bars in this strip with me, but they both have dates and can’t. Do you want to go?” Zack asked.  
“I wish I could, dude, but I don’t think I can. I’ve been kind of worn out all day, and sort of feel like I’m coming down with something, so I think I’m going to stay put for tonight. We can always watch a movie together. You can drink if you want, and I’ll have some of the tea that my wife recommended I drink. That’s actually why I was on the phone with her,” Alex explained.  
“Must be nice,” Zack muttered, just loud enough for Alex to hear.  
“What do you mean by that? Are you okay, man?” Alex asked, sitting up some in his seat.  
“Yeah, I’m fine, sorry for that, I’ll just-“ Zack started.  
“Seriously, what’s wrong, man? I can tell that you’re annoyed about something, and I’d love to help you deal with it, if I can,” Alex continued, looking genuinely concerned for his friend.  
Zack took a deep breath, feeling a bit nervous to share his thoughts, but he knew that it would be for the best.  
“Honestly, I don’t really know what’s wrong, either. When I asked Rian and Jack to hangout, they both said no, because they had plans with girls. Well, Rian was going out in a group, but they were all in pairs, so I would’ve third wheeled Rian and his date. Then, I come on the bus, and you’re talking to your wife while wearing a big smile that screams ‘I’m in love’, and I guess I’m just,” Zack explained, trailing off at the end.  
“Are you jealous? Why do you feel that way? We both know that Rian and Jack aren’t actually going to be serious with the girls they’re seeing tonight. Especially Jack, since he lives in California when we’re not touring,” Alex replied.  
“I know, I guess I just wish that I were in a relationship sometimes, like you guys,” Zack admitted, sounding embarrassed.  
“Well, the other two aren’t in actual relationships right now, which I know you know. They’re just talking to people and dating around,” Alex continued.  
“That’s true, but they’ve both been in real, serious relationships before, and I really haven’t been. Rian was in one for quite a while, and even Jack was in one. I don’t know, I guess the fact that you all have been in relationships, especially you, Alex, and I haven’t been, it just makes me feel unlovable,” Zack stated, feeling his face heat up and turn red.  
“Hey, that’s not true, and I know you know that. I get that you haven’t been with someone in a while, but that certainly doesn’t mean you’re unlovable. I got lucky with my wife, since her job requires her to travel a lot, too, which means that she doesn’t get upset with me because I’m not home for about half of the year. As far as the other two, I think this goes without saying, but neither of them had relationships that ended well. They both had to deal with a lot of bullshit and drama that really hurt them, especially Jack. I’ve honestly thought that you didn’t date so you could avoid all of that. I never had any idea that you were jealous or insecure because of this,” Alex admitted in an apologetic tone.  
“I really didn’t either, until tonight. I guess that I’ve always wished that I could be with someone, since you guys have been so often, but I think tonight was my breaking point. Having the two of them reject hanging out with me to be with some girls was kind of like a wake-up call, I guess. It kind of made me think that if they don’t want to hang out with me, then why would a girl want to? I know that all probably sounds really stupid, but I can’t really help it,” Zack said, still feeling anxious about being open.  
“I can understand why you feel that way, but it’s not true. You’re not unloved or unvalued, the three of us are so grateful for you as our bass player, and as one of our best friends. If you want to date more, I’d say go for it! Jack goes out with girls a lot after shows, I’m sure he could ask his dates to bring a friend, so you all could go on a double date. Even if nothing serious happens immediately, at least you’ll have a little more practice, and I can guarantee that it’ll help boost your confidence. Maybe tomorrow, you can talk to Jack about this, and I’ll be there with you, if you want that,” Alex offered, making Jack smile some.  
“I wouldn’t mind that if you’d be up for it. I guess I don’t want a super committed relationship, since that’s hard to have while on the road, but I wouldn’t mind going out on dates sometimes,” Zack decided.  
“It’s not easy to be in a serious, committed relationship while on the road. You always miss them, and arguments are the worst, because they have the power to just reject your calls and texts, and make you wait until they’re ready to talk to deal with whatever caused the argument. I absolutely love my wife, and I’m happy that we’ve been able to figure it out and make it work, but it took a long time to get things to be the way they are now. We even broke up for a bit because she thought I was cheating, which I know you remember. That was so hard to deal with, and I’ve always thought that you were trying to avoid situations like that by staying single for so long,” Alex explained.  
“All of that definitely sounds stressful. I know dating on the road is hard, but I guess a relationship sounds nice, since I’m in my thirties now, and I haven’t really been steady with a girl since we were in high school,” Zack stated.  
“Makes sense, man. I’d definitely say to go on double dates with Jack, I’m sure he’ll love that idea. Also, I’m sorry you’ve felt this way for a while now, and none of us picked up on it or anything, I wish we knew sooner, so you wouldn’t have had to feel so down for so long,” Alex said, sounding genuinely sorry.  
“This isn’t your fault, or Jack and Rian’s, this one is on me. I’m glad I finally did talk about it, though, because I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was to me until tonight. Thanks for letting me rant a bit, I appreciate it,” Zack said, making both of them smile.  
“Of course, man, I’m glad you told me. I think I’m going to go make that tea for myself now, then maybe we can just chill and watch a movie,” Alex suggested, starting to stand up.  
“A movie sounds great, but you stay here and relax. I’ll make the tea for you and get myself a drink, and you can pick the movie,” Zack said, handing Alex the remote.  
“Thanks, man. I’ll pick something good!” Alex exclaimed, already starting to channel surf.  
“I know you will. I’ll be right back,” Zack said, walking out to the front lounge, smiling at the thought that everything would start to go up from here.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a request for biggest_of_uwus! They have a new songfic posted, and it's great so I highly suggest checking it out! I got this prompt about a month ago, and I'm glad I finally got around to writing it, and I hope it was worth the wait! I'm officially one fic away from having 200, which is absolutely insane to me! My 200th will be going up tomorrow, it's already written, and I'm so excited to share it with you all, and reach a big milestone! Also, I only have one last request to work on, so please send me more!! I love writing your all's ideas, and am super excited to hopefully get more! Thank you all so much for the support on my writing, it really does mean the world to me, and I feel very lucky to be in this community! Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
